Aerial view of Scottish Rite Cathedral, 308 Avenue E, circa 1924, shows a view of the front of the building shortly before it was completed. By 1929, the San Antonio Express building at 301 Avenue E (just across the street) would open in what was once part of the Irish flats neighborhood not far from the Alamo. less

Aerial view of Scottish Rite Cathedral, 308 Avenue E, circa 1924, shows a view of the front of the building shortly before it was completed. By 1929, the San Antonio Express building at 301 Avenue E (just ... more

Photo: Courtesy UTSA Special Collections

Image 3 of 12

Marble columns line the foyer inside the Scottish Rite Temple on in 2017.

Marble columns line the foyer inside the Scottish Rite Temple on in 2017.

Photo: Tom Reel /San Antonio Express-News

Image 4 of 12

One of the lodges inside the Scottish Rite Temple in 2017.

One of the lodges inside the Scottish Rite Temple in 2017.

Photo: Tom Reel /San Antonio Express-News

Image 5 of 12

The Scottish Rite Cathedral, photographed in 1999, across the street from the San Antonio Express-News.

The Scottish Rite Cathedral, photographed in 1999, across the street from the San Antonio Express-News.

Photo: Juanito Garza /San Antonio Express-News

Image 6 of 12

Scottish Rite Temple in 2017.

Scottish Rite Temple in 2017.

Photo: Tom Reel /San Antonio Express-News

Image 7 of 12

A rare and ancient organ is still used in the theater at the Scottish Rite Temple in 2017.

A rare and ancient organ is still used in the theater at the Scottish Rite Temple in 2017.

Photo: Tom Reel /San Antonio Express-News

Image 8 of 12

Geometric patterns and intricacy abound in the ceiling of the foyer inside the Scottish Rite Temple in 2017.

Geometric patterns and intricacy abound in the ceiling of the foyer inside the Scottish Rite Temple in 2017.

Photo: Tom Reel /San Antonio Express-News

Image 9 of 12

Squares of tile hold symbolic meaning in one of the lodges at the Scottish Rite Temple in 2017.

Squares of tile hold symbolic meaning in one of the lodges at the Scottish Rite Temple in 2017.

Photo: Tom Reel /San Antonio Express-News

Image 10 of 12

The facade of the Scottish Right Cathedral in downtown San Antonio.

The facade of the Scottish Right Cathedral in downtown San Antonio.

Photo: Terry Scott Bertling / San Antonio Express-News

Image 11 of 12

Tall and heavy bronze doors are on the front of the Scottish Rite Cathedral. Many enter for events through a side entrance.

Tall and heavy bronze doors are on the front of the Scottish Rite Cathedral. Many enter for events through a side entrance.

Photo: Terry Scott Bertling / San Antonio Express-News

Image 12 of 12

The Scottish Rite Cathedral makes space available for rent for weddings, banquets and other special events.

The Scottish Rite Cathedral makes space available for rent for weddings, banquets and other special events.

Photo: Terry Scott Bertling / San Antonio Express-News

Replica of an ancient temple stands downtown

1 / 12

Back to Gallery

When the Scottish Rite Masons of San Antonio got the deed for a piece of downtown property on Jan. 18, 1920, plans were being made to erect a new, bigger temple on the site.

In 1919, Freemason William Fly led a committee tasked with selecting a site for a new cathedral, according to a history written by the Freemasons. Some members wanted to stay put at the site on St. Mary’s Street, but others eyed a homestead owned by the prominent Kampmann and Frost families at Avenue E and Fourth Street.

Express Newsletters

Get the latest news, sports and food features sent directly to your inbox.

The Freemasons bought the homestead for $65,000, and they later purchased smaller nearby parcels of land, bringing the total cost to nearly $78,000.

The massive replica of a Greek temple a couple blocks from the Alamo was built in the 1920s by the Freemasons, who are members of the world’s oldest fraternity. They trace their origins to the Middle Ages and the stonemason guilds that built cathedrals across Europe.

“World War I, with thousands of soldiers in San Antonio, brought mass initiations” to Freemasonry, according to the history of the organization. “With the ample treasury, (Freemasons) paid cash for this new building site and were ready to proceed.”

Troops who had forged strong bonds during the war returned home and missed that camaraderie. Many joined the ranks of Freemasons by expressing a belief in a supreme being and joining a lodge. They earn “degrees” by taking quizzes and learning morality lessons about leading an honorable life. After they earn enough degrees at a lodge, they can choose to join the Scottish Rite — a type of college for Freemasons.

But times have changed. With their membership dwindling, Freemasons heartily welcome everyone who wants to tour or rent the historic cathedral, which features marble pillars carved in Italy, heavy bronze doors made by the famous Italian sculptor Pompeo Coppini, and a cavernous theater with 114 ornately woven stage backdrops.

“This is the best-kept secret in San Antonio,” said Harold “Red” Lohmann, 74, a longtime Freemason who gives tours of the building and wishes that more people would enjoy its hidden treasures.

The tours, which began in 1992, are an effort by Freemasons to stay relevant in a modern age of boundless entertainment options that didn’t exist when the Scottish Rite Cathedral was built nearly a century ago, when the Freemasons were enjoying a resurgence.

The Freemasons rent the building for events such as weddings in an attempt to bolster revenue. The organization contributes to charitable causes and funds a free school in the cathedral’s basement for dyslexic students. The San Antonio Scottish Rite Library and Museum, a nonprofit corporation created by the Freemasons, owns the property and is responsible for the cathedral’s preservation and maintenance.